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August 5
Events * 642 - Battle of Maserfeld - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. *1100 - Henry I crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey. *1305 - William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance to England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London for trial and execution. *1388 - Battle of Otterburn, border skirmish between the Scottish and the English in Northern England. *1583 - Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St John's. *1620 - The Mayflower departs Southampton. *1689 - 1,500 Iroquois attack village of Lachine, in New France. *1716 - Battle of Petrovaradin *1735 - Freedom of the press: New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he published was true. *1763 - Pontiac's War: Battle of Bushy Run - British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeat Chief Pontiac's Indians at Bushy Run. *1772 - First Partition of Poland begins. *1812 - War of 1812: Tecumseh's Indian force ambushes Thomas Van Horne's 200 Americans at Brownstone Creek, causing them to flee and retreat. *1858 - Cyrus West Field and others complete the first transatlantic telegraph cable after several unsuccessful attempts. It operated for less than a month. *1860 - Carl IV of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Norway, in Trondheim. *1861 - American Civil War: In order to help pay for the war effort, the United States government issues the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872). * 1861 - The United States Army abolished flogging. *1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Baton Rouge - Along the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, Confederate troops drive Union forces back into the city. *1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Mobile Bay begins - At Mobile Bay near Mobile, Admiral David Farragut leads a Union flotilla through Confederate defenses and seals one of the last major Southern ports. *1870 - Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory. *1874 - Japan launches its postal savings system, modeled after a similar system in England. *1882 - Standard Oil of New Jersey is established. * 1882 - Martial law is enacted in Japan. *1884 - The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor. *1888 - Bertha Benz drives from Mannheim to Pforzheim in the first long distance automobile trip. *1901 - Peter O'Connor sets the first IAAF recognised long jump world record of 24ft 11¾ins. The record will stand for 20 years. *1912 - Japan's first taxicab service begins in Ginza, Tokyo. *1914 - In Cleveland, the first electric traffic light is installed. *1925 - Plaid Cymru is formed with the aim of disseminating knowledge of the Welsh language, which is in danger of dying out. *1940 - World War II : Latvia is annexed by the Soviet Union. *1943 - World War II: During the Battle of Troina, at around 11 A.M, Mount Etna erupted sending much ash and lava miles into the sky. *1944 - World War II: Possibly the biggest prison breakout in history occurs as 545 Japanese POWs attempt to escape outside the town of Cowra, NSW, Australia. * 1944 - Holocaust: Polish insurgents liberate a German labor camp in Warsaw, freeing 348 Jewish prisoners. *1949 - In Ecuador an earthquake destroys 50 towns and kills more than 6000. *1957 - American Bandstand, a show dedicated to the teenage "baby-boomers" by playing the songs and showing popular dances of the time, debuts on the ABC television network. *1960 - Burkina Faso, then known as "Upper Volta", becomes independent from France. * 1962 - Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990. *1963 - United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign a nuclear test ban treaty. *1964 - Vietnam War: Operation Pierce Arrow - American aircraft from carriers [[Wikipedia:USS Ticonderoga (CV-14)|USS Ticonderoga]] and [[Wikipedia:USS Constellation (CV-64)|USS Constellation]] bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes attacked US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. *1969 - Mariner program: Mariner 7 makes its closest fly-by of Mars (3,524 kilometers). *1974 - Vietnam War: The U.S. Congress places a $1 billion dollar limit on military aid to South Vietnam. *1979 - In Afghanistan, Maoists undertake an attempted military uprising. *1981 - Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who ignored his order for them to return to work. *1989 - General elections are held in Nicaragua, Sandinista Front wins the majority. * 1995 - The city of Knin, a significant Serb stronghold, is captured by Croatian forces during Operation Storm. The date is celebrated as the day of victory (Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day) in Croatia. * 2003 - A car bomb explodes in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta outside the Marriott Hotel killing 12 and injuring 150. Births *1301 - Edmund of Woodstock, English politician (d. 1330) *1397? - Guillaume Dufay, Franco-Flemish composer and theorist (d. 1474) *1623 - Antonio Cesti, Italian composer (d. 1669) *1641 - John Hathorne, American magistrate (d. 1717) *1662 - James Anderson, Scottish historian (d. 1728) *1694 - Leonardo Leo, Italian composer (d. 1744) *1802 - Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (d. 1829) *1811 - Ambroise Thomas, French opera composer (d. 1896) *1813 - Ivar Aasen, Norwegian poet and language reformer (d. 1896) *1815 - Edward John Eyre, English explorer (d. 1901) *1827 - Deodoro da Fonseca, first President of Brazil (d.1892) *1850 - Guy de Maupassant, French author (d. 1893) *1862 - Joseph Merrick, the "Elephant Man" (d. 1890) *1866 - Carl Harries, German chemist (d. 1923) * 1866 - Harry Trott, Australian cricketer (d. 1917) *1872 - Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician (d. 1917) *1877 - Tom Thomson, Canadian painter (d. 1917) *1888 - Victor Francen, Belgian-born actor (d. 1977) *1889 - Conrad Aiken, American writer (d. 1973) *1890 - Erich Kleiber, Austrian-born conductor (d. 1956) * 1890 - Naum Gabo, sculptor (d. 1977) *1897 - Aksel Larsen, Danish politician (d. 1972) *1901 - Claude Autant-Lara, French film director (d. 2000) *1906 - John Huston, American director (d. 1987) * 1906 - Wassily Leontief, Russian economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1999) * 1906 - Joan Hickson, English actress (d. 1998) *1908 - Harold Holt, 17th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967) *1910 - Bruno Coquatrix, French songwriter and music impresario (d. 1979) *1911 - Robert Taylor, American actor (d. 1969) *1912 - Abbé Pierre, French Catholic priest (d. 2007) *1914 - David Brian, American actor (d. 1993) *1918 - Tom Drake, American actor (d. 1982) * 1918 - Betty Oliphant, Canadian ballerina (d. 2004) *1923 - Devan Nair, President of Singapore *1930 - Neil Armstrong, American astronaut * 1930 - Michal Kováč, President of Slovakia *1934 - Wendell Berry, American poet, writer and farmer *1935 - John Saxon, American actor *1937 - Herb Brooks, American ice hockey coach (d. 2003) *1939 - Princess Irene of the Netherlands *1941 - Bob Clark, American film director (d. 2007) *1943 - Nelson Briles, American baseball player (d. 2005) * 1943 - Sammi Smith, American country singer and songwriter (d. 2005) *1946 - Loni Anderson, American actress * 1946 - Ron Silliman, American poet *1946 - Erika Slezak, American actress *1947 - Angry Anderson, Australian entertainer * 1947 - Bernie Carbo, American baseball player * 1947 - Rick Derringer, American musician *1948 - Carole Laure, French Canadian actress *1951 - John Jarratt, Australian actor *1953 - Rick Mahler, American baseball player (d. 2005) * 1953 - Samantha Sang, Australian singer *1956 - Jerry Ciccoritti, Canadian film director * 1956 - Maureen McCormick, American actress *1957 - Faith Prince, American actress *1959 - Pete Burns, English singer (Dead or Alive) *1960 - Seth Swirsky, American songwriter *1961 - Tawny Kitaen, American actress * 1961 - Mark O'Connor, American violinist * 1961 - Clayton Rohner, American actor *1962 - Patrick Ewing, American basketball player *1964 - Adam Yauch (MCA), American musician (Beastie Boys) *1965 - Motoi Sakuraba, Japanese composer *1966 - Jonathan Silverman, American actor *1968 - Terri Clark, Canadian country singer * 1968 - Tokimitsu Ishizawa, Japanese professional wrestler * 1968 - Oleg Luzhny, Ukrainian footballer * 1968 - Colin McRae, Scottish rally driver (d. 2007) * 1968 - John Olerud, American baseball player *1970 - James Gunn, American filmmaker *1971 - Evil Jared Hasselhoff, American bassist (The Bloodhound Gang) *1972 - Christian Olde Wolbers, Belgian bassist (Fear Factory) *1974 - Alvin Ceccoli, Australian soccer player * 1974 - Antoine Sibierski, French footballer *1975 - Antony Cotton, English actor * 1975 - Ami Foster, American actress * 1975 - Kajol Mukherjee, Indian actress *1976 - Jeff Friesen, Canadian ice hockey player * 1976 - Kwon Sang-woo, South Korean actor *1977 - Eric Hinske, American baseball player * 1977 - Mark Mulder, American baseball player *1978 - Kim Gevaert, Belgian sprinter * 1978 - Nektaria Karantzi, Greek singer *1979 - David Healy, Northern Irish footballer *1980 - Wayne Bridge, English footballer * 1980 - Jason Čulina, Australian soccer player *1981 - Carl Crawford, American baseball player * 1981 - Rachel Scott, American murder victim (d. 1999) * 1981 - Kō Shibasaki, Japanese singer * 1981 - Erik Guay, Canadian alpine skier * 1981 - Cory Williams, American internet celebrity *1982 - LoLo Jones, American track and field athlete * 1982 - Ryu Seung Min, Korean table tennis player * 1982 - Tobias Regner, German singer *1983 - Dawn Richard, American singer (Danity Kane) *1985 - Salomon Kalou, Ivorian footballer *1986 - Paula Creamer, American golfer *1987 - Genelia D'Souza, Indian actress * 1987 - Xenia Tchoumitcheva, Russian-born Swiss model *1993 - Corey J. Smith, English television actor * 1993 - Suzuka Ōgo, Japanese actress *2000 - Maya Bond, Japanese-born American singer and musician Deaths * 882 - King Louis III of France (b. 863) *1063 - Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd *1364 - Emperor Kogon of Japan (b. 1313) *1572 - Isaac Luria, Palestinian-born Kabbalist (b. 1534) *1579 - Stanislaus Hosius, Polish Catholic cardinal (b. 1504) *1610 - Alonso García de Ramón, Spanish soldier and twice Royal Governor of Chile *1633 - Archbishop George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1562) *1678 - Juan García de Zéspedes, Mexican musician and composer (b. 1619) *1743 - John Hervey, English statesman and writer (b. 1696) *1778 - Charles Clémencet, French historian (b. 1703) *1792 - Frederick North, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1732) *1799 - Richard Howe, British admiral (b. 1726) *1868 - Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes, French archaeologist (b. 1788) *1880 - Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra, Austrian physician (b. 1816) *1895 - Friedrich Engels, German philosopher (b. 1820) *1911 - Bob Caruthers, baseball player (b. 1864) *1923 - Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian slavist (b. 1835) *1929 - Millicent Fawcett, British suffragist and feminist (b. 1847) *1946 - Wilhelm Marx, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1863) *1952 - Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist (b. 1917) *1955 - Carmen Miranda, Portuguese actress and singer (b. 1909) *1957 - Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1877) *1959 - Edgar Guest, English poet (b. 1881) *1960 - Arthur Meighen, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1874) *1962 - Marilyn Monroe, American actress (b. 1926) *1963 - Salvador Bacarisse, Spanish composer (b. 1898) *1964 - Art Ross, professional ice hockey player and executive (b. 1886) (Art Ross Trophy) *1978 - Jesse Haines, baseball player (b. 1893) *1984 - Richard Burton, British actor (b. 1925) *1991 - Paul Brown, American football coach (b. 1908) * 1991 - Soichiro Honda, founder of the Honda Motor Company (b. 1906) *1992 - Jeff Porcaro, American drummer (b. 1954) *1994 - Alain de Changy, Belgian racing driver (b. 1922) *1998 - Todor Zhivkov, Bulgarian Communist dictator from 1956 to 1989 (b. 1911) *2000 - Sir Alec Guinness, British actor (b. 1914) * 2000 - Otto Buchsbaum, writer and ecological activist (b. 1920) *2002 - Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (b. 1982) * 2002 - Chick Hearn, American basketball announcer (b. 1916) * 2002 - Franco Lucentini, Italian writer (b. 1920) *2005 - Polina Astakhova, Russian gymnast (b. 1936) * 2005 - Jim O'Hora, American football coach (b. 1915) * 2005 - Raul Roco, Philippine senator (b. 1941) *2006 - Susan Butcher, American Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion (b. 1954) *2007 - Florian Pittiş, Romanian artist (b. 1943) Holidays and observances *Burkina Faso - Independence Day. *Croatia - Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day. *Chile - Children's Day * Abel of Reims (died 750) * Addai * Saint Afra, martyr (rare) * Saint Afra and companions, virgins, martyrs France * Saint Cassianus, bishop of Autun, confessor France * Saint Dominic, confessor date, in Paris; nowadays August 4 * Saint Emygdius, martyr, bishop of Ascoli Piceno * Saint Fredulph, confessor Saintes * Saint Jonius, priest, martyr Paris * Feast of Mary "ad nives"; Dedication of Santa Maria Maggiore bin Rome common * Saint Memmius, bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne, confessor France; Paris, as Menge * Saint Ormisdas, pope, confessor Bamberg * Saint Oswald of Northumbria, king, martyr England (died 642) * Saint Sixtus II, pope Paris * Saint Venantius, bishop of Viviers Viviers * Saint Nonna of Nianza External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:August